SCHUMANN Myrten • Sophie Koch (mez); Nelson Goerner (pn) • CASCAVELLE 3085 (47:22 &)

Myrten, which usually appears with the 19th-century spelling Myrthen, seems a perfect match to the voice and imagination of Sophie Koch. One could not ask for a more beautiful instrument or a finer technique to have set it free. As well, one could not ask for a more thoughtful reading of these magnificent songs, which demand much from the heart and the mind of a singer. They are sung with a purity of style seldom heard in today’s artists, and seem to be deeply felt as well as impeccably prepared. The dramatic scope is wide. “Talismane” rings like a brilliant, heroic trumpet, and “Du bist wie eine Blume” is sung with a fine-spun pianissimo evoking a profound sense of the poem’s intimacy and wonder. Sophie Koch draws upon the tradition of the past, reminiscent in some ways of Elisabeth Rethberg, whose recording of this cycle’s third song, “Der Nussbaum” is available on Vocal Archives 1171, and Franz Volker, whose recording of the seventh song, “Die Lotusblume,” is available on Preiser’s “Lebendige Vergangenheit,” MONO 89997. Their sensibilities, which were formed before the First World War, seem more akin to this artist than the intellectual mannerisms found in Lied singers of the post World War II epoch, such as the ubiquitous Fischer-Dieskau and Schwarzkopf. This is not to say that Koch is a voice from the past. Hers is very much a voice of the present, standing as she does somewhat more removed from nature and idealism than those earlier artists born in the 19th century. This can also be said of Lynne Dawson’s and Ian Partridge’s charming shared performance of Myrten (spelled in this case Myrthen) on Chandos 9307.

Nelson Goerner is Sophie Koch’s sensitive collaborator. He displays much beauty of phrasing and tone, but generally appears to assume a supporting role, rather than claiming equal partnership in the music-making. Often his playing is more expressive once the introduction is past, and he has the voice to mirror dramatically.

In regard to the production of this disc, the notes about Myrten are wonderfully written, informative, insightful, and full of what seems to be genuine enthusiasm. The sound engineers do not fare as well, having given us a little too much reverberation, but this is not a great distraction. It is rather disappointing as well to find not a single biographical fact included about either musician, except that one is a mezzo and the other a pianist. However, we know all we need to know about them through their moving performances.

FANFARE: Raymond Beegle